Word.ws English Dictionary

running something up the flagpole

running something up the flagpole is the present participle and gerund of run something up the flagpole.

Meaning of run something up the flagpole

Verb

run something up the flagpole (third-person singular simple present runs something up the flagpole, present participle running something up the flagpole, simple past ran something up the flagpole, past participle run something up the flagpole)

  1. (idiomatic, transitive) To propose an idea or make a suggestion in order to acquire feedback from others.
    • The idea might not be so bad; why don't you run it up the flagpole at the next board meeting?
    Synonyms:
    float

Questions about running something up the flagpole

What is running something up the flagpole the present participle and gerund of?
Running something up the flagpole is the present participle and gerund of run something up the flagpole.

Words near running something up the flagpole in the dictionary

  1. running shoes
  2. running short
  3. running someone off their feet
  4. running someone ragged
  5. running someone's file
  6. running something up the flagpole
  7. running sore
  8. running sores
  9. running speech
  10. Running Springs
  11. running start

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: running something up the flagpole (page history and authors); run something up the flagpole (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this entry: “running something up the flagpole.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/running_something_up_the_flagpole. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.